Beautiful Ride
by SammiRichGurl
Summary: "There had never been a vampire princess, and though many accepted that a woman would probably lead the clan one night, it was not yet time for such an upheaval." The time is now upon us. OC, new characters aswell as old. Follows Book for the most part R/R all criticism is welcome. Formerly known as One Day More
1. Chapter 1

**The immense respect I have for Darren Shan (both the character and the author) has driven me nuts trying to write my very best fanfiction. So if you would be so kind as to leave a small contribution when you've finished reading each chapter- a review, it would mean the world to me. Every single review counts in my opinion- even if it's just "this is good" or "this is a piece of garbage". It lets me know I'm doing something right. I'm not the best writer here- or anywhere for that matter. But I promise to give you my best.**

**This is ****_slightly _****AU, all this belong to their respective owners. I would never claim to own someone elses ideas (hence this being fanfiction). But what I do own (Sam, this plot etc.) are m-i-n-e mine.**

**My word count in total was: 2559**

**So now… onto what you ****_really _****came for.**

_Prologue_

"_You're a complete idiot_." I said simply, trying to swallow back the nervous lump in my throat. Wiping my profusely sweat hands on the oversized t-shirt that was currently tucked into my jean shorts; I regarded Steve with an icy glare, hoping he would stop acting stupid. In his hands he held a spider, about the size of a nickel and dirt brown. I could feel the beading sweat on the back of my neck, and it took everything I had no to run back into the house screaming with my arms flailing.

"Hey Saaaaaam." Steve drawled out, looking up at me with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I'm serious Steve; I'll tell your mom all about the ten bucks you stole last week!"

But my threat fell on deaf ears; already he was chasing me around the yard almost putting the spider in my hair. But before he get could touch me with the creepy, eight legged creature my mom called me into the house to play with Annie; I guess having a little sister did have its advantages. I smacked his hands away quick and instinctively, the spider flying somewhere into the grass.

"No fair!" He pouted, his face was dangerously red. Steve was close to having a temper tantrum. It was hard to believe we were both 13 when he acted like such a child. Maybe_ he_ should be playing dolls with cry-baby Annie.

"What a dork," I rolled my eyes with all the maturity of a girl who became hysterical every time she saw an arachnid. I waved goodbye to my good friend, who hopped on his bike and sped away down the street.

"You know I don't like that boy," my mom said sternly as I walked past her, one hand on the stair railing. Her hands where on her hips as she stared me down with her gray-blue eyes; Angela Shan was not someone you wanted to mess with.

"Mom," I groaned, the last thing I needed was a lecture.

"Samantha Shan, I will not tolerate that tone of voice from my own daughter. There's something _off _about him," Mom slung the dishtowel she was twisting in her hands over her right shoulder, and then turned to go back into the kitchen. "Dinner'll be ready in about a half hour." She added softly and gently kissed my forehead.

"Alright mommy," she smiled and I rushed upstairs to Annie's room, breathing a heavy sigh of relief that mom hadn't started ranting about boys and, god forbid- _sex. _I held back an involuntary gag.

Sitting down on Annie's floor; I made sure I got all the good Barbie clothes, and the biggest room of the dream house dad made for us; that in turn caused a lot of slapping and hair pulling between the two of us. The shouting and consistent banging against the floorboards caused Dad to come up and yell at us, his raised voice making us both cower in fear. Of course being the eldest meant I was supposed to have more sense than to use violence with my little sister, and that on top of the earlier altercation with Steve was enough for my parents to finally lose thier patience with me. I was sent to bed right after dinner, while Annie got to stay up and eat ice cream.

One day, I would look back on these summers we spent together, and wish I could turn back time reliving every moment with my friends and family- just being a kid. And maybe, if I could have a do-over, I'd let Annie have the top floor bedroom and pink evening gown.

_Chapter 1_

If math wasn't the death of me, my father certainly would be. He was going to literally bury me alive when he saw my grade. I was so frustrated I was nearly in tears during midday break, which for us high school-ers was just a glorified recess. Freshman year had been the biggest pain-in-the-neck for me; I barely adjusted to all this coursework suddenly being dumped on me, and I longed for the familiar halls of Meddlesome middle school. Saying I was glad to have only 7 days left was an understatement, but then I thought about finals….

"Oh God." I laid my head against the cool picnic table, my wavy, light brown hair flying every which way in a tangled mess.

"Hey Sam!" The familiar voice of my good friend Steve caused me to emit a groan of irritation; he had a tendency to come up with these crackpot ideas on the paranormal, and decided long ago I was the best person to tell them too. Consequently on more than one occasion Steve found a way to bully me into going on idiotic adventures; like staking out the local burger joint, haha-_stake, _for vampires. Or even the one time he wanted to go camping in the woods behind my house because he heard howling, and convinced himself it had to be werewolves.

"Either something really bad happened, or you spontaneously turned into a dying moose," he laughed lightheartedly. "I can hear you groaning and crying from the other side of the courtyard."

"I wish I had your innate ability to _not care_ about my grades." I mumbled into the table.

"It's not that big a deal," he said, pulling on my arm and forcing me to my feet. "It's just math." We started walking toward the soccer fields.

"Besides, what need will I have for proofs when I become a vampire," Steve said this with such sincerity I _almost _felt like jerk for shaking my head and calling him a basket case.

"Between Mr. Dalton and my dad I'll be lucky to survive 'till the fourth of July." My stomach was already in knots, I couldn't understand how it had happened- a 68? My parents were going to be furious! I had barely passed at all.

"Maybe we can kidnap Mr. Dalton, wait 'till the fourth of July then attach him to a firework_, then_ give your parents your report card. We can set off the firework just as your dad comes at you for the kill dressed in his "Kiss the cook" apron," Steve offered with a mischievous smile just as we passed some of the snobby girls that were spread out on a blanket; sun bathing and gossiping.

"Wielding a spatula," I added. We both erupted into a fit of side stitching laughter; a few people looked at us, clearly annoyed, before returning to their business. I didn't mind though, I wouldn't trade Steve for any one of those stuck up jerks. Even_ if _he was a little obsessed with vampires. Steve "Leopard" Leonard was a good friend, albeit a bad influence at times. My parents tried to stop us from hanging out when high school started, they were sick of Steve getting me into trouble at school with his pranks. They also didn't trust him due to his hot temper and tendency to use violence. I could admit sometimes he scared me, I didn't like it when he angry because there was no telling _what_ he could do. But I brushed it off and kept smiling; I trusted him, and I knew he wouldn't hurt someone he was friends with.

"Where's Alan?" I looked around not spotting either him or Tommy; the three boys and a girl named Jennifer were the only people I really hung around with.

"Probably playing soccer while Tommy's off making out with Jen." Steve mocked them by making kissing noises. I cringed; the couple had started going out two weeks ago. The sudden change had affected all five of us, putting tension between Tommy and Alan- who had a crush on Jen since the fifth grade. I felt bad for Alan, he was such nice guy. Steve thought it served him right for waiting around so long, and it caused more than one verbal fight between the two of us.

As if right on cue, Alan came running towards us waving something in the air, it flashed green and black.

"Y-you guys." He panted, stopping before us gasping for breath. "You'll never guess what I took from my brother," he looked around, and with a small voice added. "Where's Tommy and Jen?"

"Miss us?" A slightly arrogant, male voice said. Tommy was holding hands with Jen and they both shared secretive smirks on their faces. I cast a sympathetic glance over at Alan but he brushed me off, showing us all the paper.

"It's for some sort of freak show, coming in to town tomorrow night!" Alan could barely contain his excitement. "The _Cirque Du Freak._"

Steve snatched the paper repeating the words 'Cirque Du Freak' under his breath. This was right up his alley of expertise.

"We have to go." He said to me, his eyes gleaming.

"We don't even know how much it costs." Jen added- always the realist.

Steve quickly pocketed the flyer with a quick, sweeping look at all of us, "I'll check out the address tonight and find out all the necessary info. "He grinned lopsidedly just as the bell rang, and we all split off- both me and Steve heading to Mr. Dalton's room for last period.

"This is exactly your kind of thing," I smiled, he curtly nodded his head. I couldn't help but wonder if he was mad at me or something- he usually had some sort of joke or snappy comeback. We walked to class in utter silence, then took our seats next to each other and pulled out our review books.

Now that I'd come to think of it, Steve had been acting weird for some time now. Often times I would look out of the corner of my eye and find him staring at me intently- like some sort of science specimen. Maybe it numerous hours of _Ripley's Believe It or Not _finally catching up to him; causing him to go completely bonkers. But it was more than that, it was like something had completely changed between us. I couldn't identify when it specifically happened- or what triggered it. But it was like Steve had put distance between us, holding me at arms-length at all times.

I saw him reach into his pocket and pull out the Cirque flyer, smoothing it over and reading it. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one to notice; Mr. Dalton quickly snatched the paper out of his hand and read it over.

"I'll have you know Mr. Leonard, that freak shows are _illegal. _The way they treat those poor, unfortunate, hideously deformed people is atrocious. _I hope _the only reason your even hanging on to this flyer is because you were planning on going to a trusted, reliable adult- such as myself, and reporting it." His beady eyes were challenging.

"Of course Mr. Dalton, you're obviously the _best _choice." Steve's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Mr. Dalton frowned at him and straightened out his sweater vest before walking back to his desk, securely locking the flyer into one of his drawers.

After class I quickly pulled Steve off to the side, "How are you going to find the place tonight, the adress was on that flyer?" I kept my tone hushed, I didnt want anyone to overhear us.

Steve pointed to his head and said with a smirk, "Photographic memory." He turned and walked briskly down the hallway, away from me.

He didn't even say goodbye.

* * *

That night after struggling over my homework for an hour I helped Annie with her easy, first grade stuff. By the time I finally crashed into bed I was ready to pass out. And yet, being as tired as I was physically, my mind was racing with thoughts. Mostly they were about Steve, and if he was really able to make it there tonight without a hitch. And if he did, would he make it back ok? I didn't pretend to know- or even really care much about the paranormal. I liked a good scary movie just as much as the next person but I didn't spend all my free time obsessing over it, not like Steve did.

Eventually my body won over my mind, and I drifted off into a fitful sleep. I was plagued by nightmares of Steve hanging by strings like a puppet on a vaudeville stage, and some unknown person was tugging on the control bars. And there were huge spiders sitting in the audience- talking and laughing, even clapping like people. Soon enough I was pulled onto the stage as well, and all I could just yell at the person controlling us to stop. But they didn't, we just kept flailing around like fish in a barrel.

* * *

Steve wasn't in class the next day, but when the final bell rang we all found him standing at the school entrance- a smug expression on his face.

"I bought the tickets," Steve had a far off look in his eyes as he showed us the two spring green tickets he had in his hands. "As you can clearly see; admittance is only two per flyer." We all shared looks of bewilderment- all except Steve, that is. From his jean pocket he produced three strips of pre-ripped paper.

"I automatically get a one, seeing as I paid for them." A murmur of agreement came from both tommy and Alan who viewed it as fair. "I'll throw the extra ticket and these papers into the air; whoever grabs the ticket is my date." Steve winked jokingly. Without a moment's notice he threw the papers into the air, and we all scrambled around trying to catch the ticket. I was suddenly overcome by a strange feeling- like someone else's thoughts were invading my mind

**Stop.** A small put stern voice spoke from the back of my brain. I stopped, curious as to where this voice had come from. I reached up.

**Not yet, **it spoke again. I waited another second before reaching up.

**Not yet! **The voice sounded impatient, like a child on Christmas Eve.

**Now!** It spoke, and as I reached up I closed my eyes, feeling something flutter into my hand.


	2. Chapter 2

**This one is a bit shorter, sorry.**

**WC: 1762**

_Chapter 2_

_Green, _the first thing I noticed was that the paper in my hand was, in fact, green. I pinched myself, making sure I hadn't fainted and this was some hallucination. A wide grin appearing on my face as I excitedly waved the paper in the air.

"She cheated!" Alan accused. His eyes were fiery, his face red and livid.

"Yeah, did you see how easy it was for her? She had to have cheated somehow." Tommy agreed, crossing his arms and giving a pointed look at Jen who wasn't paying attention. After two weeks of fighting, both boys finally united once again. I would have been happy; had the joining force not been to put me on blast for cheating, which I didn't.

_Maybe…_

In all honesty I was just as shocked as they were; I was only about five foot one, hardly any NBA star. There's no way I could have gotten close enough to tell the colors apart, but somehow the right one floated directly to me. All I had to do was wait.

_Well, I guess I did have some help. _I scratched my head at the unfamiliar voice that had penetrated my thoughts

"Come on guys, don't be such sore losers." Jen said, placing a hand on both Tommy and Alan's shoulders, smiling.

Steve grinned at me, clapping me on shoulder. "I'll swing by around 8 tomorrow night; we can ride our bikes there."

"Actually, I think it would be better if you waited down the street," I said, remembering my parents didn't want us hanging out. "I'll tell my mom I'm going to Jen's." I smiled for effect, hoping to soften the blow. Steve nodded, but the way he clenched his jaw made me think that he was still bothered by my parent's view of him.

After quickly running back to my locker and grabbing a few notebooks for the weekend I started heading back outside. I fixed the collar of my t-shirt, pulling my golden cross out and laying it flat,smiling when I saw Alan and Steve waiting for me.

"Jen and Tommy decided to stay after for 'extra credit'," Steve used air quotes and snickered, he noticed how weighted down my bag was and tried to take it from me.

"Ehh, Steve it's ok," I pulled away from him. "I'm not some weak little girl." I smiled and he shrugged, it was the truth. My legs were strong from years of playing sports, and I wasn't sickly thin. Rather I was more on the curvy side; full breasts, but not very much in the hip department, and with a slightly chubby waist. I never thought much about my weight or my body; I wasn't trying to impress anyone. But, like most girls my age; I did experience moments of insecurity. And I never wanted people to feel obligated to fuss over me; like I wasn't able to take care of myself.

Steve and Alan started chatting about gym class, and the girls they thought were hot. I rolled my eyes, but smirked on the inside; happy to know Alan was getting over Jen.

"How about you, Sam?" Alan asked a devious glint in his eyes.

"What?" I laughed.

"Any boys you find particularly handsome?" he waggled his eyebrows and flexed his stick-like arms.

I laughed again, louder this time, "HA! Keep dreaming, I'd rather date Steve. At least he doesn't make his mom lay his clothes out in the morning." I teased gently. Steve laughed then, messing up Alan's hair and putting an arm around my shoulders.

"Careful what you wish for," Steve smirked and I gave him a dubious look; I gently slid his arm off, but I still held his hand to show I wasn't angry.

"Get a room." Gagged Alan.

"Shut up! Steve is like my brother, that'd be gross." We stopped in front my two story white house, the slight breeze making the pink flowers I helped my mother plant sway; the grass was glinting in the sunlight. The metal door slammed as tiny footsteps hurried down the steps.

"Sissy!" Annie launched herself at me, and I caught her with quick reflexes you acquire when being a big sister. This eight year old bundle of energy insisted on being up my bucket 24 hours, 7 days a week. Whenever I thought I was _finally_ rid of her, she would sneak up on me in some way.

"Have fun with the gremlin Sam," Steve teases, messing up Annie's hair and then did something unexpected; kissed my cheek. I could feel my cheeks burning as he left with Alan, I watched them walk away for a long time, they were laughing about something.

"STEVE'S YOUR BOYFRIEND?" Annie shouted laughingly in my face.

"Absolutely not!" I yelled back, almost dropping her on the ground.

"Play dolls with me!" she demanded, little hands on her hips. Her pigtails were all messy from Steve.

"Come on Annie," I groaned.

"I'll tell mom Steve kissed your cheek!"

"FINE!" I yelled and stomped my way into the house.

The evening was spent in its usual Thursday night routine; dolls with Annie, dinner, and then struggling over homework for the next hour. Eventually I gave up on my math books and flopped down on my bed, curling up with my white comforter and stared at my walls. One was dedicated to pictures and mementos of my friends and family, one face stood out the most; Steve.

_Why did he have to kiss me?_ I groaned inwardly. Steve sometimes did things without thinking, and I never dwelled on them before. But I wondered, maybe if this time he actually put some thought behind his actions. Which begged the question: did Steve like me, more than a friend?

More importantly, did I like him?

No, I didn't. I've had crushes before; I knew what it felt like to have those kinds of emotions. This was different; I cared about Steve like I cared about Annie. Both of them could be pains, but I would do anything for them. I sighed and sat up, looking into my vanity. I didn't consider myself very pretty; blue eyes, light brown hair, slight tan. Sometimes I would catch a glimpse of myself in a reflective surface and think that I wasn't _too_ bad looking. But I guess because I didn't feel that way towards Steve, I couldn't fathom what he saw in me. Flopping back down, I cleared my mind and after what seemed like forever and fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning as I was getting ready for school I wondered whether to ask Steve about the kiss, in the end I decided it would go for it. Throwing on a sundress and some sandals, I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs for breakfast. Mom made pancakes, and Annie's plate was stacked with them and saturated in syrup.

"That sure looks healthy." I commented when Annie made a face at me. "Hey mom," I said as she flipped a pancake in the skillet. "Can I go to Jen's after school today, and maybe stay the night?" I rubbed my sweaty hands on my dress and tried to stay calm.

"Sure thing sweet-pea, as long as it's ok with her parents." My mom smiled, she trusted me and I felt bad for lying to her. But nothing was going to happen; after all, it's not like I was going alone.

Steve showed up not too much later, even if we couldn't hang out my parents didn't stop us from walking to school together.

"You look nice today." he smiled, we were walking so close together I could feel his hand brushing mine and smell the soap on his skin. You could say he was handsome with his had dark hair and eyes,full lips, straight nose and a strong jaw, tall and toned; he was classically handsome. Steve would look better if he didn't have such deep purple circles under his eyes from staying up late.

"Thanks," I grinned as we neared the campus.

"Listen," Steve said slowly. "I need to talk to you about something tonight, its important."

"Fine," I shrugged.

I barely even realized it when he held my hand, not until he ran his thumbs over my knuckles.

"Um…" I gave him a confused look. He dropped my hand and parted ways with me in front of the school, not saying goodbye. I bit my lip and continued walking. "What the _hell?"_ I mumbled.

The day passed in a blur; I couldn't pay any attention in class. All I could think about was the way Steve looked at me, and that he held my hand. In a way, I felt grossed out. I didn't have amorous feelings towards Steve, and I didn't have enough experience with guys to nicely tell him I wasn't interested.

But enough was enough, tonight after he said what he needed to say I would put my foot down. No more touching, no more kissing. Friendship, simple friendship, or nothing at all.

I left school slightly earlier than usual, wanting some alone time for myself. After grabbing some things from home and saying goodbye to my parents, I began making my way down the street to Jen's house on my bike. We agreed during break it would be best to have me come over and leave from her house, that way she could cover for me. She promised the party her parents were going to wouldn't end until early in the morning, and not to worry. We joked around and played some card games for a while; gin, tonk, BS, even some go-fish. Jen's parents had ordered pizza for us and we watched _The Warrior_ on Netflix. Before long, it was already 7:30. I fixed up my hair in the bathroom mirror, letting in cascade around me in waves, and put on some makeup before changing into jeans shorts, flip-flops, and a dark red oversized sweatshirt. Nothing fancy in case I had to make a mad dash across town before her parents got home. At 8 o'clock, I pulled out of the driveway on my bike and went to find Steve. The sun had almost completely set; casting rays of orange, pink, and red on the landscape. Once I found Steve we set off into the city laughing excitedly, and waiting anxiously to see the freak show


	3. Chapter 3

**I present to you, a rather dramatic chapter of ODM I don't know when I will update again, perhaps quickly if I get some reviews- I would like to reach at least 10 before I continue. I think it could happen. Happy new year everyone!**

**WC: 1908**

I thought my lungs would burst by the time we finally reached the abandon building the cirque was being held at. It was an old movie theater, due for demolition in a few weeks' time. The ticket booth was empty as far as Steve and I could see, so we set our bikes behind some trash cans and looked around a bit more. There was nothing except a few doors into the building and garbage.

"Sam," Steve suddenly said. I turned my head around and found him staring at me oddly, like he had been for the last few weeks. I gave him a confused look as he continued. "Remember how I told you there was something I wanted to talk to you about?" He stuck his hands into his jean pockets and stared at his beat-up sneakers.

I folded my arms across my chest, "Yes."

"I wanted to tell you... you see…" Steve seemed to be having difficultly saying the words, and removed one of his fisted hands from his pockets. "I really like you. More than I've ever liked _any girl_, for that matter." Steve sounded so serious and awkward when he said it; it took all I could not to laugh at how adorable he was.

"Steve-" I said lightheartedly, but he cut me off.

"Just hear me out, ok. I know how screwed up this entire situation is- you deserve a lot better than me."

"No, Steve-" I went to tell him he was wrong, and tell Steve he meant a lot to me- as a friend.

"Stop interrupting me!" he almost yelled, I flinched at his tone of voice. This was precisely the reason my parents didn't want me hanging out with Steve-his temper could flare at any moment. "For the longest time, I've had these," he laughed coldly. "_feelings_. Any normal guy would ask his dad what to do about them- but seeing as my dad is not in the picture, and my mom is too drunk off her ass to help _anyone,_ I had to figure it out on my own." The contempt in his voice was almost enough to send me running as far away as possible.

"Here," Steve said gruffly, and held out something in his hand. The faint light of a streetlamps made the object shine. Carefully, I picked it up and inspected it- a ring, far too big for my finger. A man's ring.

"It was my dad's…he left it for me, and now I want you to have it." Steve's voice was very soft and very gentle, it was the first time he had ever spoken to me- spoken to _anyone_, in that manner. It was a painful decision, one that would surely come back to haunt me in the future. I smiled up at him; tears pricked the back of my eyes as I put the too big ring back into his hand. Steve needed someone to be there for him; his mother was never home, his father was gone, and no one at school paid him any real attention. I knew deep down if I ever really needed Steve to be there for me, I could count on him to understand. But I couldn't pretend to feel something that wasn't there.

Before I knew what he was doing, he quickly and forcefully pulled me to him. I pushed against his chest, but even being as strong as I was- he was stronger. He crushed his lips to mine, no doubt bruising them in the process.

_Gross_, I couldn't help but think. My stomach felt like a stormy sea; flipping and crashing and twisting. I felt guilty that I couldn't love Steve back. I wished more than anything that it would feel natural and comfortable to be with him, but it didn't. He was going too far. When he tried to deepen the kiss, I didn't let him. He pinched me, hoping I would let up. When I didn't, he settled for trying to push hishands under my shirt.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, realizing his error Steve released me quickly. His eyes were filled with so much hurt and betrayal that I had to look away.

"I'm sorry Steve," I didn't want to see him like this.

He offered me a shaky smile, "Its fine, I'll be ok."

"Let's just have a good time, Steve." He nodded as a door hidden in the shadows opened revealing an impossibly tall man- so tall in fact he had to stoop over so he didn't hit the doorframe. And his head was abnormally large in size, covered with long dark hair that was tied back from his face.

"Tickets." his deep voice spoke- his mouth was surrounded by a thick black beard, dark as the shadows he hid in. We both handed him our tickets; which he tore, handing us back the stubs, and pocketed the rest somewhere in his dark blue cloak.

"Are you both 21." he asked his tone both jovial and serious, even though it was obvious neither one of us could pass for that age.

"Yes." Steve said confidently.

"Any heart problems or anxiety?"

"Nope," I chimed in. His dark eyes peered down at me, indifference turned to mirth as his face brightened with a grin. The hallway behind him lit up with torches just as he smiled, and I felt like the creepy-ness factor was just about to be raised a few decimals.

"Please, come inside. And enjoy your time at the Cirque Du Freak." He said warmly. With a great sweep of his cloak, he started to lead us down the hallway.

"My name is Mr. Tall, and I manage the Cirque." He stated with pride.

"It must fun!" I added trying to make polite conversation.

"All these acts are real right? I'm an expert on the occult, I'll know if it's fake..." Steve interjected.

We rounded a corner and were suddenly standing in the threshold of a large theater, a makeshift stage underneath the projection screen.

"To answer your question Mr. Leonard, yes- all the acts are indeed real. And if you wish to see another showing of the Cirque, you will be wise not to question the validity of any one of these performers." Mr. Tall's voice held an icy edge while addressing Steve. "I hope you and Miss Shan have a nice time this evening."

Steve looked at me, anger etched in his face, but just as he turned back to challenge Mr. Tall he stopped short. He was gone.

"H-How did he know our names?" I asked shakily.

"No clue," Steve said uneasily. " Let's go grab some seats in the front row." he smiled, and even though it didn't reach his eyes- I followed, believing that he had gotten over my rejection of him and come to his senses.

* * *

After ten minutes of awkward silence between Steve and me, the large crowd that had gathered finally settled down and the lights dimmed. Mr. Tall appeared on stage and the room erupted into applause. I vaguely recalled my nightmare from the other night, a shiver running down my spine.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you. Tonight we bring you astonishing and startling acts from across the seas. At this time we ask all electronic devices be shut off and put away for everyone's convenience." When he had finished speaking, two beautiful, yet identical, women walked on stage They were dressed in matching nondescript black leotards with bare feet, sleek blonde hair pulled back into tight buns.

"The twisting twins: contortionist's Sira and Seera," Mr. Tall announced. The two girls began an acrobatic performance that consisted of twisting and turning their bodies together in impossible manners. Members of the crowd and I let out a gasps of amazement and wonder as they moved in sync. Too soon, it was over. And the fantastic twisting sisters smiled and waved, eerily at the same time, and walked off stage.

"Alexander Ribs, the skinniest man alive!" An extremely thin man stepped onto the stage, high-fiving the sisters. He pulled off his t-shirt revealing his unearthly small frame; I could see every rib and organ in his body. He poked at his spleen and stomach, and I could feel myself turning green. And according to the noises the audience members were making; I wasn't alone. I can't say I wasn't happy to see him go after such a short amount of time.

"I bet you he eats like a cow." Steve whispered in my ear. The joke itself wasn't very funny, but I snickered lightly anyways; I didn't want to damage our friendship any farther.

"Gertha Teeth, ladies and gentleman. She can bite through anything-even steel." Mr. Tall stood next to a young lady with bright red corkscrew curls, and abnormally large and shiny white teeth. He held out a metal shovel, not unlike the ones my father uses for gardening. Her mouth fit right over the handle and she bit down, a metallic screech filled the air. One half remained in Mr. Tall's hands, another clattered to the ground.

The audience erupted into more applause. The next three acts preceded in a similar way, Rhamus Two-bellies; a portly man that could eat anything, which he showed us by devouring metal and even fire! Next was Madam Truska, an extremely beautiful and exotic woman who danced around enticing all the men, including Steve. The boys hollered at her until she started growing a beard- a beard so strong nothing could cut through it.

"She has better luck with facial hair than you," I whispered to Steve, who shot me an unamused look

Last, but certainly by no stroke of the means least, was the wolfman. Steve sat up in his seat, alert, as they rolled a huge brassy cage onto the stage. The smell was the first thing to hit me-putrid and foul. A mixture of body odor and feces. I stifled back a retch. The beast stood up; his body was of a man, but his face was wolf-like, and he was covered in matted brown hair from head to toe.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I ask that you be extremely silent and make no sudden movements. As long as you remain calm, no harm will come to you." The warning hung in the air like a fog that casted a silent veil over the audience. Slowly, no doubt to increase the atmosphere, Mr. Tall unlatched the lock. The wolfman walked forward slowly, the cage shaking and glinting in the light as his weight was transferred onto the stage. He walked around the first few rows-all the way on the other side of us, but slowly creeping our way.

"He's just your type." Steve teases. But there was something in his voice that made the hairs on the back of neck stand up; cruelty.

My hands began to sweat and I wiped them on my shorts. Before I knew what was going on I heard a growl. The movement had caught the beasts attention-he was running straight towards me. So I did when any normal person would do- I screamed


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for taking so long to update; I wanted to take some time off to let people start reading this story- and anticipating an update;) If you tuned; I want to take a moment to thank you. Especially the people that reviewed, favorited, and followed One Day More.**

**Reviewers: Scoochiexd and ILikeFanFiction. Thank you both for favoriting as well!**

**Hope you all are well!**

**WC: 2402**

* * *

Have you ever experienced a moment in your life when something terribly wrong is about to happen; and all you can do is just sit there, suspended in time and unable to move. That's this moment right now.

The scream that escaped my lips was piercing; the kind that makes the screech of nails on a chalkboard sound like a lullaby. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one to shriek as the charging mass of matted fur and sharp teeth came barreling down the aisle. So many people were on edge already; and I had just given off a spark in a powder keg. A woman, sitting with her husband shouted. And being closest to the snarling beast it was her hand that was ripped cleanly off as the wolfman sank his yellow fangs into her flesh. Mr. Tall appeared behind the beast and wrapped his arms around him, whispering something into his ear that caused the wolfman to relax. Mr. Tall lead him back on stage and into his cage. The two twisting sisters attempted to assuage the audience as best as they could. The woman's hand was pumping out dark red blood and she was screaming.

Mr. Tall picked up the severed hand and gave a loud whistle. Small men in blue hooded cloaks, with thick arms and legs, hurried over to Mr. Tall who had whispered something in the ear of the screaming woman that caused her to go silent and stiffen. Mr. Tall grabbed the lady's bleeding wrist and with his free hand produced a leather pouch from one of his many pockets, then sprinkled a sparkly pink powder on the woman's stub of a wrist. He attached the severed hand to the woman's arm and nodded to the men in blue cloaks, who took out needles and lots of orange string. Then to the astonishment of the audience they began sewing the hand back onto her arm!

After a while the little people in blue cloaks stopped sewing. And my stomach was anxiously rolling around; Steve's hand was rested firmly on my forearm comfortingly.

"Move your fingers." Mr. Tall said, she said nothing and stared at him. "Move your fingers!" he said again this time she wiggled them. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart finally started to slow down. The woman started shaking her hand as hard as she could. But everything seemed as good as new and her wrist was no longer bleeding.

"You will be ok," Mr. Tall told her. "The stitches will fall out in few days and you will be fine after that."

"That's not good enough! What if he had bitten her head off?" The man that had been sitting next to the woman was directly in front of Mr. Tall, his big face beet red.

"Then she would be dead," Mr. Tall was calm and collected. His straightened his red top hat and red gloves before addressing the man once more. "Tell me, sir, where were you when the wolfman attacked?"

"Well…. There was no time.. I couldn't…I wasn't…" the man stuttered around, trying to fine a fitting answer. But there was none: for he had been about to run away, and save himself.

"Listen to me," Mr. Tall said. " I gave everyone here fair warning. I said this show could be dangerous. This is not a nice, safe circus where nothing goes wrong. Mistakes can and _do _happen, and sometimes people end up a lot worse off than this young woman. That's why these shows have been outlawed. Things usually go on without any problems or people getting hurt, but safety is not something we can always guarantee."

Mr. Tall looked at the audience now and proclaimed loudly, " Now is your final chance to leave until the end of the show. These sorts of things happen, and no promises will be made to keep you safe. If you are afraid; please, leave now."

"Do you want to go?" My hands were clammy, and I felt wound up tighter than a box spring.

"No way! Things are just starting to get fun." Steve grinned wickedly. And I slowly nodded and smiled shakily. I could tell he was having a good time, and I didn't want to rain on his parade. A few people left, but most stayed, including the woman with the injured hand.

Dancing girls got on stage and performed while the men in blue cloaks walked around selling goods to the audience. Mr. Tall informed us that there would be more for sale at the end of the show, so I saved some of my money for then. Steve and I both bought rubber dolls of Alexander Ribs, clippings of the wolfmans hair ( it was thin, wiry and sharp). They also sold glass statues like the ones I'd seen Rhamus eat. I bought some candy while Steve asked how much the statues cost. The little cloaked man said nothing and continued on his way leaving a bewildered Steve in his wake.

"You think they're human?" He asked me as I attempted to fix my ponytail.

"Of course they are! Perhaps they're shy, and that's why they don't show their faces or talk." I shrugged. Steve became silently, absent-mindedly running his fingers over my hand. I cleared my throat loudly but he took no notice: his dark eyes were transfixed to the stage awaiting the show to restart. I pulled my hand away, scowling.

The next act was a man named Hans Hands. He told us about how his father was born without legs and had to learn how to get around on his hands. He had taught his children how to get around on their hands as well as any one could on their feet. Hans picked four men at random from the audience and promised a gold bar to anyone who could beat him in a race; they could remain on their feet and Hans would use his hands. The over confident men took up the offer, believing it would be easy to win. Using the aisles as a racetrack they took off at a sprint. Hans totally destroyed them, and I clapped excitedly when he won, wishing I could do something amazing like that! Hans did some gymnastics next; I was transfixed on his impressive skills. Too soon he was finished, and Mr. Tall was prepared to introduce the next act.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Crepsley and his amazing performing spider Madam Octa!"

A man, who was tall and thin with white skin and a crop of orange hair, appeared on stage holding a small wooden cage and dressed in dark red from head to toe. He had a long scar down the left side of his face, it reached his lips and it made his mouth look like it was stretched up the side of his face. He had started to make a speech but I wasn't paying any attention to him. I was looking curiously at Steve, who had been the only one in the audience to gasp loudly at the entrance of the man. He had gone ghost white, and was trembling all over.

"It is not true that all tarantulas are poisonous," Mr. Crepsley said. His voice was deep, and it caught my attention. I looked away from Steve and onto the stage. "Most are as harmless as the spiders you find anywhere in the world. And those which _are _poisonous normally only have enough poison in them to kill small animals.

"But some are deadly!" I flinched at his sudden seriousness. "Some can kill a man with one bite. They are rare, and only found in extremely remote areas, but they do exist.

I have one such spider," Mr. Crepsley said and opened the cage. My heart was picking up speed again for the few seconds when nothing happened. And I almost started hyperventilating when the biggest spider I had ever seen crawled out; it was green, red, and purple and it had long hairy legs and a huge fat body. I started breathing hard and shaking like a leaf. Now it was Steve that was looking at me strangely. The spider walked out and sat there waiting. He finally put two and two together and sat back with a big grin. I was absolutely terrified of spiders. They paralyzed me with fear, no matter the size of their creepy little bodies.

And this one was the size of a small purse dog.

"Madam Octa has been with me for several years, " Mr. Crepsley said. "She lives far longer than ordinary spiders. The monk that sold her to me said some of her kind live to be twenty, sometimes thirty years old. She is an incredible creature, both poisonous and intelligent."

All throughout the small introduction the strange orange haired man gave the blue hooded people lead a goat onto the stage. Mr. Crepsley produced a small tin flute from his pockets and played a few short notes. The spider swiftly jumped through the air and landed on the goat, which was bleating as he tried bucking the spider off. Madam Octa hung on and soon her fangs found the base of the goat's neck, and sunk in.

The goat become stiff and fell over, tears pricked my eyes when I thought it had dies, but worse still it was breathing! The poor goat….

"I have trained Madam Octa to not kill with the first bite. But should we leave the goat like this it would surely die," Mr. Crepsley blew the flute again and the spider bit the goat once more. The goat shook violently for a second then went stiff, it was finally dead.

I felt absolutely horrified of the arachnid's sharp fangs, and nearly fainted at the thought of her sinking her fangs into _me! _

A few people stood, clearly feeling the same discomfort as myself.

"Do not move!" Mr. Crepsly hissed. "Remember your earlier warning; a sudden noise could mean death." Madam Octa stood on two legs, and as Mr. Crepsley played a small tune she backed up still standing like that. Then she climbed back up the table.

"You will be safe now," Mr. Crepsley said as the people re-took their seats. "But please; do not make any loud noises, or else she may come after _me!"_

I couldn't really register anything outside the realm of my own fear. As the strange performer smiled it made him look all the more frightening. I didn't want to look like a wimp so I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. He had the spider crawl up his body; first perching on his head like a funny hat, then resting on his chin and spinning a web downward. The thought of those hairy legs all over my face made me shiver. I was nervously chewing my bottom lip as Madam Octa started swinging about level to his ears. As she swung upward once more Mr. Crepsley threw his head back and the threads of the spiders web snapped. She went sailing into the air and ended up in Mr. Crepsley's mouth.

I could feel myself turning green at the thought of her sliding down his throat. But when the man faced the audience once more, he showed how the intelligent spider had stuck her legs out at the right time; catching on his lips. Madam Octa started puffing in and out, like a balloon. Mr. Tall then appeared with a small flute, the same make as Mr. Crepsley's.

He played a fairly simple tune. And the spider began moving around the man's mouth. Getting over my initial shock I realized she was spinning a web. When she finished she lowered herself down and Mr. Crepsley did something I found profoundly revolting; he _ate _the spiders web.

I wanted to vomit right then and there, but my fear still had me in a chokehold. In my mind I was only mildly worried about the spider, but my body betrayed me and keep me focused on the arachnid as she awaiting her next command.

"Delicious. Fresh spider webs are a delicacy where I come from!" grinning gleefully at the audience, he retrieved his flute and started playing expertly once more. He made Madam Octa lift a tiny set of weights over her head; just like a human. Afterwards he set up a small dining table. Complete with silverware, plates, and even cups. She ate her dinner of flies and other insects in a neat and orderly fashion. I soon found myself unwinding and becoming slightly relaxed as time went one. I had come to the conclusion that Madam Octa was a truly marvelous creature.

I turned to tell Steve that maybe I was starting to get over my phobia, but he wouldn't respond when I called his name. Not until Mr. Crepsley had left the stage.

"This is awesome!" he said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. "This is so _freaking _awesome!"

"The spider? I agree, though I think I might be having nightmares for weeks now." I shivered.

"Not the _spider_, the man! Crepsley. Who needs to dream up monsters when there's one right in front of you? You don't know who he really is, do you?" Steve looked worried and looked around nervously for any signs of the strange orange haired man.

"Like you do." I snorted.

"I, in fact, _do."_ He sneered. " Which is why I hope that he doesn't know I know. For both our sakes…"


	5. Chapter 5

** The changes in the story are mildly evident at this point, but as the plot develops so will the changes. There will be new characters. There will be subplots. Also, if you hate what I've done to Evra please let me know. Keep hanging in there you guys!**

**Ciao**

**Disclaimer: I own the oc's, plot twists, and the like. Other than that it's Mr. Shan's property. I'm just borrowing.**

**P.s happy valentine's day!:D**

**WC:2287**

The small, blue hooded people came around once more after Mr. Crepsley and Madame Octa. This time they were selling spider webs like the ones the Mr. Crepsley had eaten. My curiosity soon got the better of me, and using the last of my money I bought a few. They tasted like cotton candy!

I tried to get Steve to tell me more about the man, but all he did was shake his head and mutter: "I have to think through this carefully." Then he started to ignore me, looking far off into crowd of people that were preparing to leave.

I felt a small twinge of disappointed once I realized the show was over. But I suppose even the mystical and frightening members of the Cirque Du Freak needed to catch some shut-eye.

I got to my feet, picking up the stuff I'd bought and stuffing it into minimal free space in my purse which was filled with all sorts of makeup, hairclips, loose change, and gum.

"You can't go on ignoring me for-" I tried to say, but my voice caught in my throat. He was looking up behind me, up at the balcony. Steve's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head. I heaved a big, aggravated sigh and turned around to see what he was gaping at, as I did, people began screaming. I looked up, squinting, and saw why.

A huge snake, with dark green scales was sliding down the balcony towards us. Its tongue flicked hungrily as it slithered around with a faint "hiss" sound. Like earlier people began freaking out, me being one of them, some even fainted on the spot. I'd seen a girl faint before, during choir class when it was really hot out and she evidently hadn't eaten or had a drink all day. She just kind of flopped to the ground, chairs breaking her fall. It wasn't anything like the dramatic, graceful fall of starlets in old movies that Jen and I made a habit of watching. With a yelp I narrowly avoided getting stepped on by a burly man and his equally big wife. Steve grabbed my arm with vice grip and pulled me near the wall, his body hovering protectively. The uncomfortable closeness reminded me of the scene in the alley and I squirmed away from him. His dark eyes shown with a glossy look of anger; whether it was directed at my stubbornness, or the situation it was hard to tell.

"Why must you be so difficult?" His harshly whispered question remained unanswered as a bright spotlight trained itself on the snake. People stopped running, a few picked themselves up off the ground where they had fallen, and miraculously no one seemed to be badly injured.

A girl of around 15 on the stage. Her eyes where oddly shaped, narrow like the snakes. She was very thin, with yellow-y green hair and dressed in a white robe. The girl made a hissing sound and raised her arms above her head, the robe fell away and we all gasped. She was covered from head to toe in scales.

They shined brilliantly under the lights; gold and blue, yellow and green. She wasn't wearing anything; save for a pair of shorts and a sports bra. She turned around and showed us her back; it was the same except maybe a couple shades darker. She slid off the stage on her stomach just like a snake! When the girl reached the floor she stood and walked over the balcony, as she passed by me I saw the areas between her fingers where connected by thin sheets of skin. My skin crawled, but unlike with the spider this was in a good way. I was intrigued by the serpent girl and her snake; I was completely enraptured by their skin.

"Wow," I breathed excitedly as she pasted us. It seemed like everyone at the cirque was amazing in their own right!

Well, maybe not _everyone_. I wasn't going to invite the wolf-man over for tea _anytime _soon.

When she was a few feet away from the pillar the lights blinding the snake snapped off. The snake girl hissed lowly, and the shuffled around to her left and right. The snake followed along happily, not even attempting to strike at her. Then the snake girl did something unexpected; she bent down and tickled the snakes chin, then kissed it on the nose. The scene itself was freaky, but I thought it kind of cute. It reminded me of how I affectionately cuddle up with stuffed rabbit, Floppy.

The girl wrapped the serpent around her neck, just like a scarf. She walked back toward the stage, not bothering to let us pet her snake. Setting her prized reptilian on the ground she preceded to tickle its chin once again. The snake opened its mouth wide and the girl put her head between two sets of glistening fangs.

My stomach was a flipping nervously, I wanted to yell at her to knock it off and get her head out of the snake's mouth. It was dangerous! But Mr. Tall had warned us about making sudden loud noises, so I remained silent. The girl removed her head and wrapped her snake around her once more. This time only her face was exposed; and with a grin she hopped around the stage.

"And _that, _ladies and gentlemen," Mr. Tall said from the stage, "really is the end." He smiled and leaped off the stage vanishing midair in a puff of smoke. When the smoke finally cleared he was by the exit, considerately holding open the curtain with his big hands as the crowd filed out, whispering excitedly to one another. Grabbing my purse and also Steve's things, he was so deep in thought he would surely have left them behind, we made our way toward the exit. The pretty gymnasts Sive and Seersa were standing with the blue hooded people arms full of silver trays of goodies. And two new girls, both of which shared the same ash brown hair as each other, were dressed in black dresses and selling cirque merchandise.

"Hello!" one of them greeted me, her heart shape face lit up with a gap toothed smile.

"Hi," I softly, but not unkindly.

"Would you like to buy anything else?" She held out the tray, full of tempting trinkets. But I declined,

"Sorry, already spent all my money. Maybe next time?" I offered. _Maybe next time? _This was probably the first, and last time I would ever see the Cirque Du Freak.

"Oh," The girl pouted. The other girl suddenly, they must be sisters. Even being on the same level as me I could tell she was younger, maybe eleven.

"What about your boyfriend?" she asked shyly.

If I had been drinking anything, I would have spit it out all over the two of them. Fortunately I wasn't, and yet it took everything for me to force out a respond.

"H-he is _not _my boyfriend." I said hotly. "I think I better be going." As I turned to leave, they both called 'farewell' eerily in unison.

As we approached the exit, Mr. Tall's grin widened. Showing us his blackened teeth, as he addressed us both.

"Well," he said. "Did you kids enjoy the show?"

"It was wonderful!" I said in earnest.

"Were you scared?" he asked.

"Just a tiny bit, but only of the wolf-man…and the spider." I answered truthfully; something about Mr. Tall made me not want to lie to him. I felt like even if I did, he could see through me anyway. Best not to tempt fate.

"You're one tough young lady," he laughed which cause me to turn bright red.

There were a bunch of people still trying to leave behind us, so with a small nod in Mr. Tall's direction we hurried off and entered the sort corridor between the two sets of curtains. I was smiling to myself until Steve's rough voice broke through the happy fog clouding my brain.

"Go back by yourself."

"_What?" _Mr. Tall was preoccupied by a few people that had stopped to talk to him; there was no rush to leave.

"You heard me." He sounded irritated.

"Why should I? You can't just order me around Steve! I'm getting really _sick and tired_ of you bossing me around." My voice was rising and I was trying to keep my head. I wasn't nearly as explosive as Steve, but it was late; I am tired, hot, sweaty, hungry, and irritated!

"Listen." He said dangerously low. "I'm not coming, I'm staying. And I don't know how things will turn out, but I _have _to stay. I'll meet you back at Jen's later, after I've…." His voice trailed off, he then pulled me past the second set of curtains into a corridor with a table. The people ahead of us had their backs turned. Steve made sure no one was watching he dived beneath the table and hid behind the cloth!

"Steve, you look ridiculous!" I hissed; my cheeks flushed in embarrassment. My best friend, yes he was still my best friend even after everything that had happened; was acting like he completely lost his marbles.

"Go on!" he hissed back.

"No, I'm not leaving you-," I began.

"Do what I say! Hurry up before you get me caught!" he snapped.

In an angry huff I stormed down the corridor, but gradually my pace slowed down. Could I really just stand back and let Steve get himself into trouble? What kind of friend would I be if I just _let _him get into trouble? I sighed, the people in front of me had disappeared and no one was behind me.

_I'm as bad as Steve is, _I thought. Perhaps I was even worse. Because I knew that if we were caught my parents would be furious! They would ground me forever, but seeing as the only place I really went was to Jen's house I guess I could handle that. _But they would be so disappointed in me; _I bit my lip, and hopped from left to right like a toddler doing the potty dance. _Screw it! I need to watch out for Steve._ I spotted a door and vaguely recalled passing it on the way in, it lead up to the balcony. I hesitated when reaching for the knob; I was still alone. Before I lost my nerve I threw open the door and quietly shut it behind me. I could hear members of the audience chatting it up, and as I waited for them to finish up and leave I allowed my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Soon enough the voices dissipated and I felt brave enough to test the strength of the stairs with my foot. I was deathly afraid it would break under my weight, but it only creaked and groaned. I continued with caution until I reached the top of the stairs and found myself in the middle of the balcony. It was dusty and dirty, only slightly cooler than the auditorium had been. I moved forward slowly, as I neared the edge I crouched down, and peered over the railing.

I had a wonderful view of the stage; the lights were on but the entire place was deserted. I waited impatiently for something to happen; being alone up here was giving me the creeps! Five minutes had passed when a shadowy figure creep toward the stage. I couldn't make out any features as it pulled itself up and walked to the center. Then it stopped and turned around,

"Steve," I whispered. His name hung in the air like a weight pressing down on my shoulders.

Steve checked the left wing first, then the right. He stopped between the two, trying to decide which to check first. Then a voice spoke from high above him,

"_Looking for me?" _a figure swooped down onto the stage, cape floating behind it like wings. Steve nearly jumped out of his skin, and I stumbled backward; terrified.

When I rose to my knees again, I saw a flash of orange hair.

Mr. Crepsley!

Steve didn't say a word. He just stared at the tall, pale man as he spoke, "I saw you watching me," Mr. Crepsley said. "You gasped aloud when you first saw me. Why?

"I know who you are," Steve's lips curled in a smile.

"I am Larten Crepsley." The creepy man stated.

"_No," _Steve said, amused. "I know who you _really _are."

"Oh really?" Mr. Crepsley smiled coldly. "Tell me little boy," he sneered. "Tell me who I am, _really?"_

"You're Vur Horston," Steve proclaimed. Mr. Crepsley's jaw dropped in astonishment. "You are a vampire."

At that point it was my turn to be shocked. As I sat there gaping at them, wide eyed and a bundle of nerves, the silence was drawn out. And terrifying to the core…


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you for the reviews! I appreciate every single one of you. This update was written a little sooner than usual, that's just how my schedule worked out: P As always, please continues to read and review!_

_I find that music always motivates me to write, I even have a special writing music playlist Do you guys have any songs that get you pumped to write? I would love if you shared what song gets you in a creative mood! Please leave it in a review: D one of mine is_Back in Time by Pit-bull. _But only because of the chorus parts: P not a huge rap fan, I prefer classical at times (Canon in D major anyone? Habanera? Vienna Blood?). Kiss, Black Veil Brides, Musical Theater (Phantom, Avenue Q, Grease, Wicked.) HALL AND OATES! David Bowie, New Order, Four Seasons, Frankie Valli (I probably spelled that wrong), Elvis, Englebert Humperdink. That pretty much sums up my music taste *insert goofy laugh here*_

_Ciao,_

_Sammi_

_P.s. Darren Shan tweeted me back telling me Larten loves me too I cried lol *laughing turns to sobbing for joy*_

_p.p.s. Let me know if you are happy with this chapter, it was my hardest to write yet!_

_p.p.p.s. sorry for any errors._

Word count:3,633

When I was about 9 I went through a moronic phase; the inability to refuse any challenge of wits or strength against the boys and girls at school. I am not an exceedingly smart or physically superior girl by any stroke of the means, simply average. This resulted in many embarrassing losses on my behalf; it also proved that I really was horrible at picking my fights wisely. Ironically that's how I met Steve; by losing to him on the monkey bars. We had to hold on until one of us fell off. He won easily, and ran around hollering loudly. Nursing my ego, I decided then and there that Steve was a force to be reckoned with. I was attracted to the wildness in him almost instantaneously. I looked up to him, and wished that I wasn't so passive with people; brushing off insults and ignoring ill-mannered remarks on my appearance. But sadly, I never really did get over that mountain called insecurity.

So now as I'm staring at the boy I idolized for so long, watching him overcome the fear in his eyes as he approached the man, the _vampire, _I realize how truly and utterly pathetic I am compared to Steve.

_I should leave right now, _I thought to myself as I wiped the sweat from my brow. But I stayed frozen to the spot. It was as if I had no control over my body!

Mr. Crepsley (or Vur Horston) smiled, "So," he said, "I have been discovered. I should not be surprised. It had to happen eventually. Tell me, boy, who sent you?"

"No one," Steve replied calmly.

The vampire frowned, "Come, boy," he growled, "this is not the time to play games. Who are you working for? Who put you onto me and what do they want?"

"_I'm _not working for anyone," Steve insisted. "I've got loads of book and magazines about vampires and monsters. There was a picture of you in one of them."

"A _picture?" _Crepsley's suspicious reply echoed back to me.

"A painting," Steve corrected, "It was done in Paris, 1903. You were with a rich woman; and the story said you were gonna get married but she found out you were a vampire and left you."

The vampire grinned, "As good a reason as any. Her friends thought she made up the fantastic story to make herself look better."

"But it wasn't a story."

"No," Mr. Crepsley agreed, "it was not." he let out an aggravated sigh and focused his fierce gaze on Steve. "Though, it might have been better for_ you_ if it _had been." _He boomed.

My hands were gripping the railing so hard that the knuckles turned white; if I had been Steve I would currently be reduced to a sobbing, lamentable heap on the ground. But Steve didn't even blink.

"You won't hurt me," he stated simply, with a sheepish grin. But even from here I could tell his eyes were an unforgiving black, the kind that gave off no light or warmth.

"Why not?" the vampire growled.

"Because of my friend," Steve said, "I told her all about you and if anything happens to me, she'll go to police."

"They will not believe her," Mr. Crepsley snorted.

"Your right," Steve agreed. "But if I turn up dead or missing, they'll have to investigate. You wouldn't like that, lots of police poking around asking questions, coming here in the _daytime._"

Mr. Crepsley shook his head in disgust. "Children! I hate children!" he snarled. "What do you want? Money? Jewels? The right to publish my story?"

"I want to join you." Steve said with a smirk.

I could have fallen right then and there, fainted right over the edge. But somehow I managed not to send myself down to my death. Controlling the amount of noise I made while I began hyperventilating was another story completely.

_What is he _thinking!?

"What do you mean?" Mr. Crepsley asked, as stunned as I was.

"I want you to make me a vampire," Steve replied, he was controlling his tone carefully. "Make me a vampire and teach me your ways."

"You are crazy!" the vampire roared.

"No I'm not!" Steve snarled.

"I cannot turn a child into a vampire; the vampire generals would kill me."

"What are the vampire generals?" Steve queried.

"Never you mind," Mr. Crepsley waved the question away. "All you need to know is we _do not _blood children. It creates too many problems."

"So don't change me yet! I know vampires take on half human, half vampire assistants. Take me on as your apprentice until I'm ready."

The vampire snapped his fingers and a chair from the audience flew over to him. He sat down and assessed the boy in front of him. He crossed his legs and addressed Steve.

"Why do you want to be a vampire?" he said. "It is not much fun. We can only come out at night. Humans despise us. We have to sleep in dirty old places like this. We can never marry, settle down, and have children. It's a horrible life."

"I _don't _care." Steve stubbornly replied.

"Is it because you want to live forever? If so then I must inform you that we do not live forever. We live far longer than humans but we die all the same-sooner or later." Mr. Crepsley stated.

"I don't care." Steve said again. "I want to come with you. I want to learn. I _want _to become a vampire."

"What about your friends?" Mr. Crepsley asked. "You would not be able to see them again. You would have to leave school and home and never return. What about your parents; would you not miss them?"

Steve shook his head miserably; he had been staring at the ground but brought his head up to look at the vampire square in the face.

"My father doesn't live with us," he said softly. "I hardly ever see him and my mother doesn't love me. She probably won't even notice I'm gone."

"Is that why you want to leave home, because your mother does not love you?"

"Partly," Steve said, drawing in a shaky breath.

"If you wait a few years, you will be able to eave on your own." The vampire said.

"I don't want to wait."

"And your friends?" Mr. Crepsley asked again. At this moment his face was softer, kinder even. But still scary. "Would you miss the girl you came with here tonight?"

"Sam?" Steve asked, then blushed and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I'll miss my friends. Sam most of all, but she doesn't care about me. Not like that, any way. "He added. "But it doesn't matter. I want to become a vampire more than I care about them. And if you don't accept me, I'll tell the police and become a vampire hunter when I grow up!"

The orange haired vampire didn't laugh at this, but simply nodded; his face still gravely serious, "And you are sure this is what you want?"

"Yes," Steve responded.

Mr. Crepsley sighed heavily, and the hostile air around him began to disperse. "Come here then. We must test your blood."

Steve stood in front of Mr. Crepsley, blocking my view of the vampire. They spoke to each other softly, and I was shaking even harder than Steve when I hear something that sounded like a cat lapping up milk. I wanted to scream at Steve to stop, I wanted to yell for him to get his ass out of there.

_Please, God. Please let him be safe. _I was terrified of making too much noise and having the vampire killing us both.

All of a sudden the vampire started coughing. He pushed Steve away from him and stumbled to his feet. To my revulsion, I saw his mouth was red, covered in blood, which he quickly spat out.

"What's the matter?" Steve said rubbing his arm where he had fallen.

"You have bad blood!" Mr. Crepsley screamed.

"What are you talking about?" Steve's voice was shaking from a mixture of anger and fear.

"You are evil. I can taste the menace in your blood; you are a savage." The vampire shouted.

"You are a liar! Take that back!" Steve yelled.

Steve tried punching Mr. Crepsley, but the vampire easily knocked him away. "It is no good," he growled. "Your blood is bad. You can never be a vampire!"

"Why not?" Steve said softly, sadly, from the floor.

"Because vampires are not evil creatures of lore," Mr. Crepsley said, "We respect life. We have killer's instincts, but we are not killers."

"I will not make you a vampire," Mr. Crepsley insisted. "Go home and get on with your life, forget about this."

"No!" Steve erupted like a volcano, all his rage radiating off him like light from the sun. "I won't forget!"

"I'll get you for this!" Steve said, "One day; Vur Hortston, I'll track you down and kill you!" he ran from the stage, calling back "One day!" over his shoulder. I could hear him laughing, the crazy kind of laughter that gave me goose bumps, as he ran down the hall and out of the building.

If I thought nothing was more frightening than the angry vampire, I was mistaken. Steve was a broken man. Wounded in so many ways. Despite this he brought a lot of happiness into my life with his smile, and his laughter. He wasn't perfect by any means, but always managed to make anything we did with our friends an adventure. He could have been so much more than what he was; a delinquent, failing school, with no real hope for the future. I would have missed him terribly if he had become a vampire; but maybe he it was in his best interests. It was the one hope he had left for himself.

And now it had been ripped from him.

I found myself resenting Mr. Crepsley, a loathing that burned deep within me. How could he reject Steve? The boy _obviously _was dedicated. And he is not evil! He's no saint, but Steve is not a killer!

**Are you sure you're not angry at him for leaving you with a broken friend? Leaving behind a mess for you to clean up, to take care of. Don't you ever get sick of taking care of everyone else? **A very small voice spoke in the back of my mind. Kind of like the one that had helped me win the ticket in the first place.

_Maybe… _I thought, still clutching the railing. I watched the vampire wipe the blood from his mouth, snort "Children!" and examine the audience. Drops of blood still falling from his mouth; he made his way off the stage.

**Here is one **_**tiny **_**suggestion. **The voice purred. **He took something valuable to you; now take something valuable of his. And eye for and eye, correct?**

"I-"my voice caught in my throat. "I'm too much of a coward," I admitted weakly.

**Do it.**

"No," I said, collecting my strength I banished the voice from my mind. Thoroughly freaked out; I checked to make sure the coast was clear before creeping back down the stairs and out the building. It was when I was able to breathe the fresh air outside that a foggy veil that had settled over me was ripped away. I could think clearly now; I was almost as frightened of Steve as I was of Mr. Crepsley.

_Wow, _I thought, _a real vampire! Cool, but, terrifying. _And with that I hopped on my bike and pedaled like a madwoman back home!

I didn't even bother going back to Jen's; I went straight home. I walked in around 3 a.m. My parents questioned me when I got home; I told them that Jen and I got in a disagreement; they left me alone after saying I was grounded for two weeks. But Annie knew something was up; the following day she threatened to tell mom and dad about Steve giving me a kiss the other day, and rather than get into _another _argument with my mom I decided to just tell Annie the truth.

"You're joking!" she said. "That can't be true."

"_It is!" _I promised.

"Cross your heart?"

"I cross my heart."

"Swear on your eyes"

"I swear on my eyes," I said. "May rats gnaw them out if I'm telling a lie."

"Wow!" she squeaked. "If they ever come into town again will you take me with you?"

"Sure," I said. "But I'm pretty sure they don't make a habit of stopping in the same place twice."

I shared some of the things I bought with her (she promised to keep them well hidden). I didn't bring up Mr. Crepsley or Steve's conversation with her; I was scared enough for my sake as it is, no need to bring my baby sister into this. She may be a cry baby, and a brat; and she does on occasion play around in my makeup _without _my permission, but I love the little runt.

Before I got _too _sentimental, I grabbed her doll from her arms and held it high above her head grinning wildly. But Annie was a lot older now, and could easily give me a run for my money. And that's exactly what she did. She jumped on me, sending us both crashing to the floor. I quickly got up and ran outside; she followed and was chasing me around the front yard trying to get her doll back. And despite it all; we were both laughing.

* * *

Too soon it was Monday, I was a bundle of nerves as I walked in; I didn't know what I was going to say to Steve, or what he was going to say to me. It also didn't help that I didn't get much sleep; I was petrified that the vampire was going to find me, sneak in my room and rip out my jugular. The time I didn't use sleeping I used studying my brains out for my exams.

I walked through the school yard, stifling a yawn by downing some iced coffee (it was far too hot outside for regular). Steve was there when I arrived, which was strange because I'm usually here earlier than him. He stood apart from everyone else, leaning against the wall; waiting for me. I took a deep breath, gathered my courage, and walked over beside him.

"Morning!" I said; mustering up the brightest smile I could.

"Morning," he replied emptily. His eyes were heavily lidding, with dark circles underneath them. He probably had slept even less than I did; only he couldn't cover them up from the world with makeup.

"Where'd you go after the show?" he asked.

I gulped, "Oh," I said breezily. "Back home."

"How come?" he queried suspiciously.

"It was so dark that," I paused from a small laugh at my 'stupidity'. "I got lost and by the time I recognized where I was; I was closer to my house than Jen's."

"You must have gotten into a lot of trouble," he smirked at me, his fingers brushing my arm lightly.

"_Oh yeah."_ I said sarcastically. "You should have seen my parents face! Two weeks no allowance, not that I mind much anyway. "I grinned. "It was a lot of fun! I don't think I'll sneak out again though; too much stress!" I laughed it off. "But wasn't the Cirque Du Freak _awesome?"_

"_Yeah," _he said, his eyes gazing at me in a strange way. Was he this close before? I noticed how his lips were pulled up to one side in a small smirk.

Was it really this hot outside? I felt flushed. The school bell rang and I quickly said goodbye and rushed off to my first period class.

_I should be focusing on this review! _I thought sharply during geometry. I could help but wonder about the vampire; did he sleep in a coffin? Would sunlight kill him? Could he turn into a bat? I sighed, carefully rubbing my temples to stop the headache I felt coming on. _I don't know, nor do I think I'll ever find out._

**You could.**

_Ugh! Not you again, can't you find someone else to bother?!_

**No one is as much fun as you. **The voice said smarmily.

_Screw off! _I thought hotly.

**Temper, temper! Wouldn't want to push away someone who wants to **_**help **_**you, would you?**

_Yes, if they are auditory hallucinations created by; anxiety, sleep deprivation. And paranoia!_

**Did you think about what I last told you about?**

I shifted in my seat; Mr. Dalton was peering at me curiously over his own work. I began doodling; feigning concentration.

_No, I have'nt_

**Well? How 'bouts it?**

_I can't, _I thought dejectedly. _Stealing is wrong!_

**Poor little girl! **The male voice said sarcastically. **Don't you ever tire of being the good girl? Don't you ever crave revenge, destruction, chaos? It would be a lie to say otherwise. You know it and I know it; the vampire has it coming to him.**

In spite of my blatant refusal to commit a crime; this notably parlous offer was as fetching as the 100 dollar pair of pumps I saw at the mall. Revenge?

I liked the sound of that.

**That's my girl, **came the sleepy purr of victory. **How about the spider? Yes, yes. Take that disgusting beast from him, kill it with fire. Kill it like he killed Steve's hope.**

"Steve's hope," I said in a quiet, guttural growl. My mind was swirling and spinning with the heaviness of the voices words. How could I argue with him?

That was my first mistake; trusting that voice. I could have been so happy if I had learned to deal with my own problems, and stay out of Steve's. I didn't owe him a _damn thing. _But, like most things in life- wisdom comes with experience.

* * *

At break Tommy, Alan, Jen, Steve and I gathered around a picnic table to discuss the Cirque in private. I knew what I had to do, the only problem was _how._

We told them everything-well _almost _everything. Of course Tommy and Alan had questions; Jen sat back coolly and processed the entire story in her mind.

"How do you think he controlled the spider?" Jen asked finally.

"Maybe it was a fake spider?" Alan added.

"The spider was real," I shivered at the memory. "All the freaks were real. That's why the show was so great!"

"So how did he control it?" Tommy said.

"Maybe it's a magic flute," I suggested. "Or else Mr. Crepsley knows home to charm spiders, like Indians can charm snakes."

"Well, if he can charm spiders, how did Mr. Tall control Madam Octa?" Alan asked.

"Oh _yeah!_ Maybe the flutes were magic." I laughed.

"They weren't magic," Steve said suddenly. "They used telepathy."

"What's that?" all three of us asked in unison.

"Isn't that something to with telephones?" Alan asked sheepishly.

We all laughed, "Moron!" Tommy chuckled and playfully hit his arm.

"Go on Steve," I said. "Tell him what it means."

"It's when you can read somebody's mind," he explained. "Or send thoughts to them without speaking. That's how they controlled the spider; with their minds."

"So, why use flutes?" I asked, confused.

"Probably just for show, or they need them to get her attention." Steve shrugged.

"You mean anyone could control her?" Tommy blurted out.

"Anyone with a brain, yes," Steve said. "Which counts you out Alan." He added, but smiled wickedly at him.

"You wouldn't need magic flutes or special training?" Jen asked curiously.

"I don't think so," Steve said truthfully.

My head began pounding, the dull ache inside transcended into a sharp pain now. The words were swimming around my mind; blurring like faces standing around the teacup ride at the fair.

_You have your how..._

The thought of going toe to toe against Mr. Crepsley scared the living daylights out of me! But… I glanced forlornly at Steve. Maybe just this one time I could do the wrong thing, for the right reasons.

Besides, an eye for an eye, correct?

_I should get extra reviews for making fetch happen! Please R/R!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Long time no see right? Haha! Sorry I've been away for so long; school has been the death of me. But I refuse to abandon this story! So I hope you will continue to stick around for the ride. Thank you to those who have reviewed/favorite/alerted! Thank you for your patience! I do all my own editing so it takes 5ever to update….**

**-SRG**

WC:1455

My mother had been planning on having a party in celebration of the completion of my first year of high school, as well as the inauguration of Annie into the second grade. In truth it was a rather big deal to my parents that we had worked so hard in school, and they explained that this was their way of rewarding us for an excellent year. I should be excited right? A party where I could invite all my friends and maybe even sneak some booze in?

No. Instead, my mother decides it's going to be a themed event (thankfully of my choosing) because she wants to do something 'different'. Sometimes I wonder if my mom purposefully makes things weird or if I'm just _that _lucky. But being the good child I am; I swallow down my annoyance and indulge her wish with a forced smile.

"How about vintage; 50's and 60's? At least the music will be good. And I'm sure you and dad will get a kick out of it." I offer over dinner. I had to plan the stealthiest theft ever committed (or could it be considered a kidnapping?) and my parents were throwing this on me. No matter. According to my ticket stub the last performance was scheduled for Thursday of this week leaving me with two days to form a plan and execute it.

"Sounds fairly simple. Why, I'm sure we could even have it as soon as next weekend." My mother seemed delighted by the idea.

_If I sneak in during the day, he will surely be asleep. Though I'm not entirely thrilled of the idea of scouring that disgusting old theatre for the most horrific, nightmarish beast I've ever seen. And I'm not just talking about that spider! _I violently stabbed at the meat on my plate with my fork, juice oozing out of it unappealingly. I let out a quiet sigh and asked to be excused.

"Fine," My father said. "But don't think your skipping out on dish duty. And make sure to put that steak in the fridge before you go back upstairs to your lair." He teased lightly.

I offered up no response before doing as he asked and stalking up the stairs. I shut my door quietly and let out a shaky breath. I have felt so out of my element in the last couple of days. I couldn't snap out of this bad mood, my parents probably think it's just hormones or something but I'm not so sure. I just feel so annoyed, almost even angry, and I can't understand why. I mean, of course I'm still livid about the whole Steve situation, but this feeling is more deeply rooted than that.

_ENOUGH! _I yelled at myself internally. _Dwelling on this is useless; you are probably making a bigger deal out of things; like you usually do._

I stiffly sat down on my bed and stared at the wall; the lights were off and the only sound was the _clink _of the chain switch on my overhead fan as the blades made their endless cycle around and around and around.

_I can't steal the spider after the show Thursday; they will probably leave right after. So my only option is to sneak in Thursday morning, take the spider, and pray the vampire doesn't find me._

There, now I had a plan. I would tell my mom I'm heading over to Jen's on Thursday and make my way to the old theater alone. I laid down on my neatly made bed and willed myself to relax. Eventually I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of spiders and vampires and little people.

The days went by in a shockingly slow precession; with the last of my final exams behind me a rewarding sense of accomplishment helped take the edge off the foul mood I'd been in since sneaking home from to the Cirque Du Freak.

Sunshine filtered in through the trees lining the street as I rode through the town Thursday morning. I donned a pair of brown braided sandals and a navy blue t-shirt stuffed into my distressed denim shorts; a simple, casual outfit suitable for a friendly visit. I couldn't leave the house dressed as a ninja now could I? This mission was dangerous and I couldn't risk doing something stupid and having other people get involved, like my mother would if she asked questions.

The thought that, if I went missing my parents wouldn't know where to uncover my dead body danced around my head, and there were a few times I actually turned my bike around and started home. I don't know how I managed to keep going forward; maybe it was bravery, but knowing me it was likely just my stupidity.

As soon as that decrepit building came into focus I began shaking. Despite the heat I felt a chill streak up my back, making my hair stand on end. I dismounted my bike behind a bush. I crouched down; the empty backpack I was carrying suddenly weighing a ton. Silently I eased my way into the building, which under these circumstances had taken on a different tone. I kept my weight balanced on the balls of my feet as I sneaked my way down the hallway.

The first place I checked was the theater, which was completely deserted of life. As I checked the other doors in the hallway I encountered a similar situation; except for a few instances were rodents ran out into the hall, I had the physically restrain myself from running and screaming out of the building. I soon began to fear that my window of opportunity had passed when I came upon the last door. Stairs led down to what I presumed was a cellar. The faint glow of candles emitted from below as I clutched a can of mace in my now sweaty hand.

_This is it…_I felt like crying, but I held it in. Slowly, I shifted my weight down the stairs one at a time. I was almost at the bottom when the boards let out the smallest of creaks. I froze for a second, and scanned the cellar room. The floor was dirt and a few candles had been placed around to give soft light to the place. I could clearly see a large coffin settled in a darker section of the cellar, next to it set on a crate; was the wooden cage of Madam Octa.

My feet were muted by the dirt as I edged over to the cage. Carefully, I unzipped my back pack and withdrew a piece of paper with a note written on it. Against my better instincts I peered into the cage to find the spider sitting perfectly still; almost like an ugly stuffed animal. Even so, the mere sight of her made me want to vomit. With my eyes never leaving the coffin; I grabbed the cage latch and settled the spider into my backpack, zipping it almost entirely closed but with just enough space for air to get in. My plan wouldn't work if she died.

I set my note onto the crate, remembering the hours I spent trying to spit out those few sentences.

_**I have taken Madame Octa for an indefinite amount of time. Do not attempt to find to find us, and rest assured she will be cared for accordingly.**_

With every bit of care I had when coming down the stairs; I made my way back up, feeling ecstatic when I reached the hallway and began to make my way out the building.

_I did it! HOLY SHIT I did it! _I grinned from ear to ear like a fool.

Like a dammed fool.

I sensed him before I felt his nails digging through my t-shirt. All those years of self-dense classes kicked in as I spun around and sprayed mace at what I presumed was his face. I heard an angry 'arghh' as I bolted out the door and leaped onto my bike. I tore down the street like the devil was at my heels.

That night, after storing that beast in deepest, darkest area of my closet; I didn't sleep. Nor did I sleep the following night. Every time I tried, I swear I could hear a gentle scratching at my window.

* * *

**I'm finished with the next chapter already. Some very interesting events occur and I would love for you all to read it- but this can only happen if you leave me reviews. can we do three? I think that is fair. I'll be waiting!**

**With Love,Sammi**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry if this seems like a whole bunch of filler (even though that's kind of what it is). But it's necessary to set up events for coming chapters and etc. I hope you will continue to review. Oh well, somehow I managed to write this chapter. Hopefully you all will like it enough to leave me some encouragement to continue. I'm upping the quota to five reviews before the next chapter, which include the party and a few other events. Also, on a different note; I watched Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox story with John C. Reilly (in case you never seen the movie CDF he plays Crepsley). The CDF movie wasn't very good, but I think he made a good Crepsley (despite the contractions etc. etc.) so I'm constantly reminded of Crepsley in all John's other movies. So then I got this idea and well… I guess you're just going to have to wait and see.**

**WC:1433**

**Ta!**

**-SRG**

The rain was pelting my window like bullets fired from a machine gun. Soft instrumental music was playing from my stereo, and the lights were off. I lay curled up in my bed, snuggling my stuffed rabbit; my eyes felt heavy as I stared out the window to the gray world outside. It had been one week since I, in an instance of insanity, stole a deadly spider from its even deadlier vampire owner; retaliation for hurting my friend, Steve Leonard. I had the strange feeling that the past week my actions have not been my own. The day after I took Madame Octa I drifted into an uneasy sleep and woke up panicked and gasping for air; it was as though I snapped out of a trance.

The clock on my nightstand pointed to ten after 6, throwing off my blankets and jumping off the bed; I slowly made my way over to my closet, and slid the door open. Gently picking up the clothes I had thrown over the cage I stared at the grotesque spider. Madame Octa sat unmoving, probably waiting for me to feed her. I'd resorted to tossing her pieces of lunch meat at mealtimes, though I refused to watch her eat it. Other than that I barely saw any signs of life from the creature. On top of the cage a small tin flute was settled into one of the grooves of the box. With shaking hands I unstuck it, never taking my eyes off the arachnid. I blew a note testing it out, thinking back to the conversation I had with my friends about telepathy.

_Move, _I thought gently as I blew out a single high note. Nothing.

_Move! _I thought more forcefully at the spider. Just then, her legs twitched in a strange way; almost like a runner would before a marathon. I set the cage in the middle of my bedroom floor, making sure to lock the door in case anyone wanted to stop in for a visit.

_Walk around your cage, _I commanded. On eight hairy legs the spider did as told, strutting around the small cage floor like it was a run way.

_Wow, ok now use the bars on the cage and do 10 pushups. _I demanded with a smirk, there was no way she could follow through with such a request.

But much to my dismay, she completed the challenge; then she retreated back to her original position in the middle of the cage. She looked at me with eight challenging eyes, all of them conveying a great dislike of my ordering her around. A shiver or repulsion ran through me, but not quite as strongly as it had in the past. I guess she had ever so slightly grown on me in these past days.

"Hang on," I said gruffly before stuffing her cage back in my closet. "I'll fetch supper."

I quickly exited my room and hurried down the stairs. I peeked my head through the door way and scoped out the kitchen for my mom. Then, almost slipping on the linoleum, I rushed over to the fridge and raided the drawers for a baggie of lunch meat. After pilfering said item I smugly made my way back to my room. But as I exited the kitchen my mother decided she wanted to enter for a drink.

"OOF!" she exclaimed as our bodies collided. Stuffing the bag of meat into my back pocket I tried skirting around my confused mother with a mumbled, "sorry".

"Now, wait just a minute. There is something I need to speak with you about." _Damn, _I thought. _So close._

_"_Now, I've given it some thought; and I've reached the conclusion that this party is going to be even bigger than just a simple get together with family. Now your father wants to invite business associates and their families. It could mean new deals for his construction company." Angela Shan was not someone who left room for other people in a conversation; a natural fast talking and enthusiastic socialite.

"Um…" was all I could get out before she continued.

"So, seeing as how I still want this party to be themed, and it must be a classy affair; I'm going to make a proposition." She grinned, my mother loved parties; especially ones where she could do some serious schmoozing.

"And what would that be?" I said quickly hoping to get out of this conversation in a timely fashion.

"A masquerade! Classic, elegant, and for your cooperation I'll let you in on the music selection." Mom walked over to the counter and retrieved a coffee cup from the cupboard.

"And what about my friends; can I still invite them?"

"Jen, Tommy, and Alan? Sure, they're nice kids. As long as you all behave properly." She said with a light, yet slightly patronizing, tone.

"Mother!" I said sharply. "And what about Steve, I can't just not invite him and still invite everyone else."

"Oh!" She huffed before giving in, she almost always gives in when it comes to Steve; she pitied him immensely.

"Fine! But only if you get me get your outfit for the party." Her eyes gleamed at the thought of dressing me up, probably in some sort of princess or other girly garb.

"Whatever," I said before turning away and continuing upstairs. I had had enough of this.

My mother squealed like a school girl and called after me, "Thank you darling! Let's see; now I've already sent out the adults invitations, I must call the caterer, the florist…" her voice drifted off as I reached my sanctuary and resumed the maintenance of the deadly poisonous spider. I wondered briefly if I had gotten myself into a more perilous situation with bargaining with my mother. I shook my head and continued feeding the spider, I would think about that later. Right now, I just wanted to sleep without having another nightmare of a pissed off vampire sneaking into my room and ripping out my jugular.

* * *

When I first awoken I had no inclination to the events that had occurred during my slumber. It was not until I got up and proceeded to feed Madame Octa her favorite snack, chocolate covered beetles, she had performed exceedingly well the night before, that I noticed her disappearance. Naturally my first thoughts had been that she had been taken to get her cage polished, Mr. Tall had begun that habit after particularly successful shows. But a quick conversation with the cirque manager disconfirmed this thought. Hibernus then spoke of a young woman lurking around the old theater during the day, when he attempted to confront her; the woman became spooked and sprayed mace all over his good clock-the dark blue velvet one he emphasized with a grumble. It did not take long for me to piece together the details; the girl was the friend of that misguided young man from the other night. I thought I had frightened him enough not to attempt any retaliation. Evidently not. He must have persuaded her to steal from me, a big mistake on her part regardless of influence.

It was not difficult to find her location; I did so with the next few days. However, it so became troublesome to confront the thief as she always seemed to be with someone, and I had no desire to become involved with more people. I simply watched her for a while; investigated her life, rifled through as much information as I could get my hands on about her. And eventually, after learning much about this Samantha Shan; I had formed a plan.


	9. Chapter 9

**BIG THANKS FOR ALL THE AWESOME REVIEWS! How about we aim for 8 this time ;) This is where things start to turn AU. I will try to keep everyone in character but please forgive me if they are slightly off. After all, Darren Shan didn't write a vampire romance saga. I claim artistic license!**

**Also, it later chapters there will be a lot of strong religious stuff. So I'll try to make it if you don't like that sort of thing, easy to skim over. I'm trying to explore darker content in this story so please be patient with me. I'm not going to give you anything less than my best! Which is why this update took so long -_-**

**Sam's Mask:  
Crepsley's Mask: /images/product-images/pirate_mask_m3101r_1_ **

**WC: 2905**

"Sam!" My mother yelled from downstairs, "Get down here!"

I quickly shoved the spider's cage back into my closet; I had habitually taken her out every day this week and practiced controlling her. I decided I would bring her to the party tomorrow and show all my friends what I had accomplished; it would give them all a taste of what they had missed out on, and afterward I would have Steve 'dispose' of her for me. I smirked as I hurried down the stairs and into the living room. My mother stood there looking like a kid on Christmas morning. At her feet a big cardboard box lay unopened, I become cold with realization.

"It's finally here," my mother said excitedly as she rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Hurry and open it!"

"O-Ok…" I waked over hesitantly and torn open the dreaded package, shifting through an endless sea of packing peanuts until I found _it_. The dress was beautiful; with a puffy white skirt with shimmering overlay-similar to that of a ballerina's tutu, a shimmering sweetheart neckline and a hater style top. It was decorated with intricate, swirling crimson gold detail, and I could feel the corset ribbing through the layers of fabric.

"Wow," I choked out; it _was _a gorgeous dress. The mask that came with it was white and would peak at my forehead. A rose gold design swirled around the edges and two gold rhinestones were placed on the inside corners of the eye holes.

"Do you like it, darling?" My mother asked eagerly.

I nodded in response, "Where did you get this?"

"I have a friend who owns a shop and she owed me a favor." Mom replied casually, dusting off the already immaculate dress.

"What am I supposed to be?" I laughed, holding the gown to my body.

"A swan princess; I remember how much you liked that movie when you were little."

I made a noise of agreement and made to hug my mother, despite our occasional squabbles she knew me better than I did myself at times. I thanked her and brought the costume up to my room, all the while grinning like I had lost my mind. Things were _finally _beginning to fall into place; it had been weeks and I had seen neither hide nor hair of the spider's vampire owner, I had a beautiful outfit for tonight, and a party that I'm _sure_ is bound to be fun time!

Getting ready wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. I was actually quite talented with hair and makeup, and I enjoyed primping myself for the evening. I arranged my hair in a pretty little bun on the top of my head, the ends of my hair had been dyed to look like it was fading into lighter shades of blonde; so I braided the golden sections of hair and wrapped them around the bun. It looked cool to have the two different colors next to each other. I used some sparkly clips to keep everything in place, and covered the hairstyle in a few layers of hairspray to ensure it would last through the night. I kept my face simple knowing I would be dancing with my friends. I painted my lips with a red lipstick, going for a classic look. Taking the black liquid liner; I followed the contours of my upper lash line and flicked the brush at the end. After connecting that line to my lower lash line; my normally round eyes transformed into a catlike shape. My face began to take on a different tone than that of a bookish little girl; I was more mature looking than I realized, I felt confident as I combed my lashes thoroughly with mascara. The girl who looked back at me in the mirror was radiant, self-assured, and even a little wild. I liked how I looked; for once I wanted to keep looking in the mirror, admiring myself. A sharp knock on the door broke me out of the spell I had woven over myself.

"Coming!" I called out. It was muggy out so I didn't put any stockings on, I also didn't want to worry about ripping them sometime during the night. I grabbed the white patent leather heels from my closet, snatched my clutch and was out the door. Thankfully, I was able to sneak out and bring the spider's cage to the venue earlier in the day. My parents rented out this fancy old house outside of town; the town council kept it open for special events, they thought it was a shame to tear it down just because people thought it was haunted. I used to not believe in stuff like that, but after going to the cirque I wasn't so sure anymore. So, planning ahead, I hid the cage in one of the upstairs rooms, it has this beautiful balcony and seemed creepy enough for the show I had planned for my friends.

I met my family downstairs and we all made our way out to the car peacefully, everyone seemed to be in good spirits tonight. Even Annie wasn't acting like a brat**! **No, she was content to be dressed up as a cute little court jester, her face painted expertly by my mom. My parents were dressed up as medieval king and queen, my dad wasn't keen on his fanciful costume but went along with my mother's request regardless. It was an easy car ride there; dad was making jokes, and the sun was casting a beautiful orange glow over everything as it set on the horizon.

It wasn't long before we arrived that everyone else began to show up. Soon enough, the place was packed with my father's business associates' and their families. I saw a wide variety of Venetian style costumes. Most of the kids were around Annie's age, so she spent most of her time with them instead of bugging me. It was much to my surprise that Steve was the first of my friends to walk through the door; he smiled at me fondly before making his way through the packed dance floor. Steve was dressed in a pair of breeches, a waist coat, and a puffy white shirt. His mask had a curved long nose, like a bird's beak.

"_Wow, _nice costume Shan." He said appraisingly, Steve was looking at me with that studying again. It made me feel like an animal at the zoo, his eyes were always on me; no matter what I was doing.

"Same to you, Leonard." I said stiffly, I hadn't forgotten his confession the other night. I wanted to establish a clear boundary between the two of us, I was afraid to be on the receiving end of his temper.

"Oh, come on now Sa_mm_i; don't be such a grouch, _relax." _The way he drawled out my name made me queasy, almost as if he was savoring the sound of it on his lips. He reached a hand out to me and I took a step back.  
"If you're going to act like this you can leave." I fought to keep my tone controlled, no need to make a scene.  
"You say that, and along with the fact you have been avoiding me for two weeks, can't help but make me feel like _you're _playing hard to get." Steve leered at me with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Oh get over yourself! You're just pissed that not everything I do revolves around you." The words came tumbling out of me, "Now, get your _shit _together or fuck off!" I growled.

"Fine, I'm done." Steve agreed unconvincingly.

Tommy and Jen, bless them, came to my rescue by walking through the door, dressed as the Phantom of the Opera and Christine Daae. They were followed by a very sour looking Alan; he was dressed entirely in gold and white, a fluffy feather sticking out of his wide brimmed hat.

"Jen, you're _late_!" I called out to her, pushing passed Steve.

"Honestly Samantha, you should know how long it takes to look this good." Jen fanned herself, and I could see her wink from beneath her plain white mask. I gave a brief laugh in response before linking my arm in hers and pulling her off to the side.

"So, how are things with you and Tommy?" I practically purred. According to the numerous text messages she had sent over the last few weeks he had been taking her out almost every day; trips to the beach and horseback riding, the whole she-bang. It was no secret that Tommy's family had money, and he spared no expense when taking her out to fine country clubs and party's on his friend's boat.

"Well, if hadn't been MIA the last few weeks you would have known that Tommy has officially asked me to be his girlfriend. He even introduced me to his _parents._ And he bought me this really beautiful white gold necklace!" She flashed the simple heart shape pendent; it was hanging by a delicate chain around her neck.

"Wow, looks like things are getting pretty serious between the two of you." I spared a glance over at the three boys, all of them were laughing at something Steve had said; he winked at me, it was so subtle if I hadn't been looking at him directly I wouldn't have even noticed. My face darkened, I focused back on Jen; steam was practically flowing my ears.

"What was that about? Is he still bothering you?" Jen sent a glare his way, so sharp it could have cut right through him.

"I'm _not _going to let him ruin my night!" I said firmly. "Oh, that reminds me; I have something I want to show you all. Let's go grab the others."

Larten stood on the window ledge, gazing into the brightly lit room of party goer's below him. It was a Venetian masquerade; he had not attended such a party in a very long time. He was about to rectify this.

He recalled how not too long ago he was gazing into a different room entirely; the bedroom of the young lady, Samantha Shan. She was a pretty little thing; wavy locks of warm brown hair, and clear blue eyes. She was soft looking, but defined; a quality he appreciated in a woman, he knew she was strong. There were many times he wished to run his fingers along the length of her muscular legs, feeling power beneath velvety skin. But, he resisted, the time for all that would could soon enough; even if he did not know it.

"Where are we going?" Alan asked anxiously as I lead them down another dark corridor. When I reached the correct room I stopped moving abruptly; causing Alan, who was shadowing me the entire time, to run into me.

"_Watch it!" _I opened the door slowly; relishing the way Jen, Tommy, and Alan tensed at the sound of its creaking.

"What's this all about, Sam?" Steve asked, his arms folded across his chest, his mask was pulled up on to his head. He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously, but I simply smiled at him and continued forward. Flipping on the light, we found ourselves in a bedroom; a canopy bed by the wall, an oak dresser next to it, and the balcony doors across from us.

"What I'm about to show you_ cannot_ leave this room, okay?" I warned.

"Why not? You're acting really strange Sam." Jen said shakily, clutching Tommy's arm even tighter.

"I brought something back with me from the Cirque Du Freak. If you don't remain still and quiet while I bring her out, then I can't promise that you'll be safe."

"_Her?" _Steve queried, when I refused to explain myself he let out an aggravated sigh. "Fine, I promise."

"Me too," Jen added reluctantly.

"Count me in!" Tommy chirped. That just left...

"Alan, what about you?" I asked softly, I knew he was in a bad pace right now because of Jen. I didn't want to make him feel even more isolated from the four of us. He was staring at the ground, fists clenched.  
"I'll stay, only because I trust you." Alan said defeated.

"It's settled then, you must remain still and silent through the entire thing okay?" they all nodded as I went under the bed to retrieve the cage. Steve peered over at me, eyes lighting up instantly.

"No way!" He exclaimed as I reached for the flute.

"Quiet!" I snarled, he clamped his mouth shut.

Checking once more that everyone understood to follow my rules, I unlatched the cage door and began to play. Madame Octa stretched her eight limbs before climbing up the duvet and weaving a web between the two bed posts. Her colorful body swinging back and forth was still enough to make me queasy, but I refused to lose my focus for even a split second. Once finished with her master piece I lead her back into her cage with a slow melody, giving my friends time to look at her while still being in control. I closed the door on Madame Octa once again and gave my friends a wicked smile.

"How did you, of all people, manage to capture a spider bigger than my _dog?" _Jen looked almost sick with disbelief.

"I don't know, it kinda just happened." I grumbled. What was I supposed to say? Oh it was great, a little sassy voice in my head to me to steak this spider from a vampire because he didn't make Steve one of his brood! Yeah, I don't think I want to be shipped off to an asylum anytime soon. Best to keep that little tidbit to myself.

"Well, that was really exciting Sam," Tommy said, I detected a hint of shakiness in his voice. "I wish I could have gone to the cirque if only to see what other amazing things they had there."

"Maybe we should head back down stairs?" Alan suggested, looking pale as a ghost.

"Fine by me," I said casually. "Except you'll have to excuse me and Steve for a moment."

At the mention of his name Steve looked away from the cage and back at me. It seemed we both had questions to ask of each other.

"Aright," Jen said, giving me a confused look. The trio left the room and continued back down the hall way.

"Shut the door," I said firmly. Steve did as a I asked, taking a breath before attempting to assult me with questions.

"Look before you start asking me anything," I interjected. " Let me tell you everything first."

"Fine." He bristled.

"I heard everything between you and Mr. Crepsley. And though I don't understand why you would want to become like him, I was appalled by him calling you evil. I saw how defeated you looked, it was awful. Before I knew it I had stolen the spider from him, I wanted to get him back for hurting you." My voice broke, betraying the emotion I felt in my chest. It was bad enough I had hurt my friend, but for some stranger to do it was unacceptable.

"You heard everything?" he seethed, taking a few steps toward the spiders cage. He looked livid.

"Is that all you picked up from what I just said? Yes! I said behind and listened in." how ungrateful, after all I had done for him!

"I really _hate_ it when you don't listen to me." He chuckled darkly, an unpleasant shiver ran up my spine. Before I could register what he was doing he had picked up the cage and thrown it at the glass balcony door. the cage didn't go far, as it bounced the flute detached and landed by the bed away from Steve. And the door to the spiders cage had been knocked open.

"_No,"_ I whispered, the spider crawled out its eyes on the brute who had disturbed her rest. Without missing a beat she launched herself at him, sinking her fangs into his face. I dove for the flute blowing out a sour note.

_STOP! _I screamed in my mind. Madame Octa recoiled, dislodging her fangs from Steve's flesh.

_Back into the cage,_ I commanded. Being mindful of the glass I secured the spider before I turned my attention to Steve. A hot breeze swept through the room; I found him spread eagle and panting on the ground. His face had swollen up on the right side like a red balloon.

"_Did your parents not teach you that stealing is wrong?"_


End file.
